The Kansas City Chiefs went the entire 2014 season without throwing a touchdown pass to a wide receiver. Yes, that actually happened in a year in which the NFL saw an increase in passing yards across the board. Alex Smith threw 18 touchdowns, but they were all to tight ends, running backs and fullbacks. I doubt that feat will ever be duplicated again.
The Chiefs have looked great under head coach Andy Reid. He put in his West Coast offense and Alex Smith is the perfect quarterback for it. He runs well and doesn’t have to throw the ball 25 yards ever time he drops back. It also helps to have Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles lining up behind you.
Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the Kansas City Chiefs.
2014 Win/Loss Record: 9-7
Key Additions: WR Jeremy Maclin, OG Ben Grubbs, OG Paul Fanaika, CB Chris Owens, S Tyvon Branch
Key Losses: WR Dwayne Bowe, TE Anthony Fasano, C Rodney Houston, DE Kevin Vickerson, FS Kurt Coleman, TE Brandon Barden, RT Ryan Harris, OG Jeff Linkenbach, CB Chris Owens, WR A.J. Jenkins, WR Donnie Avery, RB Joe McKnight, WR Da’Rick Rogers, CB Justin Cox
2015 Draft Picks: CB Marcus Peters, OG Mitch Morse, WR Chris Conley, CB Steven Nelson, OLB Ramik Wilson, OLB D.J. Alexander, TE James O’Shaughnessy, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches & WR Da’Ron Brown
Non-Division Schedule: AFC North, NFC North & (Buffalo/Houston)
Fantasy Sleeper: WR Albert Wilson – Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery are no longer in Kansas City, so Smith needs new targets. Wilson is a small receiver and could be a nice PPR target. The Chiefs don’t like to throw to wide receivers in the red zone, so PPR is probably most of the points you would get from any Kansas City wide receiver.
Projected Starters
Offense – QB Alex Smith, RB Jamaal Charles, WR Jeremy Maclin, WR Albert Wilson, WR Jason Avant, TE Travis Kelce, LT Eric Fisher, LG Ben Grubbs, C Eric Kush, RG Paul Fanaika & RT Donald Stephenson
Defense – DE Mike DeVito, DT Dontari Poe, DE Allen Bailey, LOLB Justin Houston, ILB Derrick Johnson, ILB Josh Mauga, ROLB Tamba Hali, CB Marcus Peters, CB Sean Smith, SS Eric Berry & FS Husain Abdullah
Team Analysis: The Chiefs are a well-run organization and hiring Andy Reid was a smart decision. Kansas City have put together back-to-back winning seasons after only winning two games in 2012. Reid has put together a punishing defense that reminds me of many of his elite defenses in Philly. Linebackers Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali will have opposing quarterbacks running for their lives. The offense also reminds me of his other Philly teams as well. Running back Jamaal Charles is a machine and has great hands out of the backfield. Alex Smith is a game manager, but Andy Reid’s offenses have always ran well under a game-managing quarterback (Koy Detmer, Jeff Garcia, Mike McMahon, etc). Kansas City will have another decent season, but Denver still looks like a beast and the rest of the AFC West has improved (even Oakland). Kansas City will miss the playoffs by a game or two this season.
2015 Wins Over/Under Line: 8.5 (Prediction: UNDER)
2015 Projected Win/Loss Record: 8-8 (2nd (tied) in AFC South)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.